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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27406330">childhood sparring</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_capricorni/pseuds/delta_capricorni'>delta_capricorni</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nonbinary Byleth Week [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood, Fluff, Nonbinary My Unit | Byleth, Sparring</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:43:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27406330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_capricorni/pseuds/delta_capricorni</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Byleth that Leonie knew from childhood was a different person.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth &amp; Leonie Pinelli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nonbinary Byleth Week [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>childhood sparring</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey folx! this is part of #nonbinarybylethweek &amp; i thought it'd be cool to explore byleth x the golden deer. so today we've got leonie onboard w the prompts of childhood &amp; sparring. (i realized 'mid-teenager years' are a bit less childhood-y only after i started writing, &amp; the sparring is more metaphorical than anything, so i figured, maybe it counts to have a bit of both? ^^;;) hope you enjoy, &amp; check out the tag on twitter!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leonie wasn’t being completely honest when she said she didn’t remember Byleth from when Captain Jeralt visited Sauin Village. It was true that the new professor giving instructions during the mock battle at Gronder seemed alien to her, lifeless even; it was true that watching Claude attempt to interact with them was like watching an odd exercise in humanity, if not simply and painfully awkward; and it was true that when she saw the Ashen Demon in action for the first time when the Golden Deer were sent to dispatch bandits on their first real mission, she was shocked by how swiftly and emotionlessly they dealt with the lives of human beings, as if they were cutting down mere blades of grass.</p><p>All that was true, but only because the Byleth that Leonie knew from childhood was a different person.</p><p>-</p><p>When Captain Jeralt and his band of mercenaries showed up at Sauin Village, Leonie was instantly awed by him. He was sturdier, taller, and more scarred than anybody she’d ever seen in her life, not to mention his mere presence commanded respect. Sure, the other mercs alongside him seemed tough, but as soon as he stepped into their village perimeter everyone knew he’d solve their bandit problem.</p><p>She was more confused by the young, blue-haired adolescent who constantly trailed him. Who were they—an apprentice? An orphan? Though the two of them looked nothing alike, she instantly saw the resemblance in their fighting stances as she spied on them one morning as they sparred in the middle of the woods. There she witnessed Jeralt reaching up to approvingly ruffle this person’s hair as they ground a knee into his chest, a training sword held to his throat. It was obvious, then, that this strange kid, who couldn’t have been much older than herself, was Jeralt’s child. Leonie decided to follow them around.</p><p>Later that afternoon, after a solid hour of pestering Jeralt to teach her basic combat and tactics until he finally relented (making her blush when he complimented her persistence, even if only half-heartedly), Leonie finally caught the kid alone. While the other mercenaries were chatting and drinking as Jeralt worked out strategies to ensnare the bandits, the kid was off to the side, poking at the dirt with a stick.</p><p>“Hi! I’m Leonie!” she boldly announced her presence. Whereas her family often would respond to Leonie by asking her to pipe down, Jeralt’s child didn’t even blink, never mind look up from the dirt.</p><p>“Uh, what’s your name?” she attempted again. “How old are you? Are you a boy or a girl? …Hello?”</p><p>“Byleth,” they finally answered, standing up to meet Leonie eye-to-eye. Their gaze seemed at once pensive and vacant. “Do you need something?”</p><p>“Do I… huh?”</p><p>“If not, I’ll rejoin Dad and the rest. It looks like they’re setting out to do some reconnaissance.”</p><p>“Oh! Take me! Take me, I know the woods like the back of my hand!”</p><p>Byleth didn’t respond, instead heading directly for Jeralt. Leonie swallowed her confusion (<em>did I say something wrong?</em>) and bounced along after them, excited for a chance to prove herself to Jeralt.</p><p>And so Leonie assisted Jeralt and his crew for a couple weeks like this, teaching them the contours and moods of the surrounding lands in exchange for fighting experience and tactics training from Jeralt and sometimes a few of the other humoring mercenaries. Byleth, though, remained an enigma.</p><p>At the beginning of the third week they finally located traces of the bandits’ hideouts. They’d quieted down following news of Jeralt’s arrival, hoping to wait out the storm, but Jeralt—with Leonie’s help—had located them first. But now, Jeralt insisted on going to smoke them out, without her help.</p><p>Her own father was first to reprimand her, after her weeks of truly enjoying herself for the first time in her village life. “Leonie, you really ought to let the men do their work,” he reproached her when she returned, dejected, from Jeralt’s strategy meeting. “Give your mother a hand, will you?”</p><p>“Byleth doesn’t have to do stupid chores around the house,” Leonie grumbled.</p><p>“Who, the captain’s kid? I’d stay away if I were you. Something’s not right about that child.”</p><p>Even so, Leonie continued to approach Byleth every evening when the mercenary band returned. At first she simply wanted a way to get closer to Jeralt, but soon enough she found herself making a game of seeing how much she could get the mysterious teenager to talk.</p><p>“Ever seen a wyvern before?”</p><p>“Yes, in Almyra.”</p><p>“Wow! What about lions, or eagles?”</p><p>“Yes, in the mountains of Faerghus and the foothills of Adrestia, respectively.”</p><p>“Lucky you! They don’t live around here. What about… I bet you haven’t seen any golden deer before!”</p><p>“A… what?”</p><p>“Ha! Gotcha there.”</p><p>“Have you?”</p><p>“Uh, no, but at least I’ve heard of them, so I win that round.”</p><p>“Are we keeping score?”</p><p>“Always! I gotta prove to Captain Jeralt that I’m worthy of being his apprentice just as much as you are.”</p><p>“As much as… I am?”</p><p>“Hey, just ‘cause you’re his kid doesn’t mean I’m gonna go easy on you. We’re rivals, Byleth, got it?”</p><p>“Okay…”</p><p>-</p><p>The third week melted into the fourth as the bandits proved adept at evading capture, but the villagers were nevertheless appreciative of the newfound peace. Leonie, if she were being honest, was more grateful for having a companion who never once told her to “act your age!” and “be more feminine!” and a mentor who seemed to have a hundred years’ worth of wisdom and combat experience to impart.</p><p>Toward the one-month anniversary of Jeralt and Byleth’s arrival in Sauin, Jeralt dropped a small charm in Leonie’s outstretched palms after a particularly arduous training session. Using spare moments in the daytime while the mercenaries played waiting games with the bandits, he’d secretly carved it specially for her, as a reward for her hard-won efforts. Leonie was overwhelmed with joy at his acknowledgement of her hard work and resilience. But when he reached down to ruffle her hair, as he did Byleth’s, she found herself overcome not with familial warmth, but rather with just a hint of melancholy.</p><p>On the thirtieth day of their stay, they finally succeeded in rooting out the bandits, bringing back their stolen gold and goods as evidence. As the villagers celebrated with a full night of feasting and drinking, Leonie found herself again at Byleth’s side. Tonight, however, as Leonie sat beside them, clutching Jeralt’s charm in her hands, their typical disinterest in social interactions seemed callous, irksome even.</p><p>“You are so goddamned lucky you get to have Captain Jeralt for a dad. He lets you do whatever you want, with your hair or your clothes or your, your anything! You even get to learn how to fight!”</p><p>Byleth stared at ground, maintaining their silence. A short pause passed between them.</p><p>This only annoyed Leonie even more. “Why don’t you ever say anything? Is it ‘cause you’re spoiled? I bet Captain Jeralt spoils you ‘cause you’re his only kid. Well, <em>I</em> think you ought to be more grateful—”</p><p>“…never thought of that before.”</p><p>“Huh? What did you say?”</p><p>Byleth kicked at the dirt aimlessly. “I never thought of things the way you’re saying,” they mumbled. “I didn’t know other kids had to wear their hair certain ways or do gender-specific things for their village.”</p><p>“Damn right they do!” Leonie huffed, placing her hands on her hips.</p><p>“…but I also hate fighting,” they continued quietly, pulling their knees against their chest. “Dad is the strongest person I know, and I want to help him. But not like this. I don’t want to keep hurting people…”</p><p>When they were quiet a bit too long Leonie felt a twinge of panic. Cautiously shuffling over, she extended a hand and lifted up Byleth’s bangs, only to find tears streaming down their face. She fell back in surprise—why were they crying? was it her fault?—but mustered her courage to creep forward again.</p><p>Byleth was still mumbling, more to themself than Leonie at this point. “…I don’t want to leave Sauin Village. I don’t want to keep moving. I want to stay in one place and have a home and make friends…”</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay,” Leonie found the words slipping out of her mouth and her hand shaking their shoulder. “Hey, Byleth? Hey. Listen. I’m sorry I made you like this… You know, I wish you wouldn’t leave, either.”</p><p>Byleth finally looked up at her, warm blue eyes staring out from puffy eyelids. “…Really? You mean it?”</p><p>“Of course! Without you, I wouldn’t ever have realized that there was a different way I could be… me. Seeing you do basically whatever you want, regardless of what people might expect from you based on the way you look or sound or act or… I guess I was jealous at first, and I still think you’re insanely lucky to have Captain Jeralt for a dad. But you know, you’ve got to have really tough skin to do what you do. And I bet I can grow thicker skin too. Both for fighting other people, and for fighting for what I want.”</p><p>The more Leonie spoke the more she came to realize all these things were true, and the more she found herself wishing that the mercenaries wouldn’t leave. Not just Jeralt, but Byleth, too. Byleth, especially.</p><p>“Can I ask you for something, Leonie?” Byleth averted their gaze again. “It’s a bit silly, so it’s okay if not.”</p><p>“What? You can at least ask for it,” Leonie replied. “And I bet I can do it too, whatever it is you want. I can make arrows, I can sew cloths, Captain Jeralt just taught me how to sharpen axes too—”</p><p>“When I leave,” Byleth began, then hesitated. Both of them held their breath before they continued, “there’s a chance I might forget all this. The more battles I fight, the more memories I lose. I have to put aside my emotions to be an effective mercenary. And yet, I never want to forget this feeling of…”</p><p>As they took Leonie’s hands in theirs, she thought to herself, <em>Our palms aren’t so different. We’ve even got callouses in the same spots… just that their palms have more battle scars. Mine will too, someday</em>.</p><p>“Leonie, if we ever meet again, will you become friends with me again?”</p><p>Leonie was taken aback, almost withdrawing her hands from their warm grasp. “<em>That’s</em> your request?”</p><p>Byleth wore a small, sad smile. “I know, it really is silly, isn’t it… forget it. I have to go—”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s silly,” Leonie interrupted, then beamed at them. “It’s silly because you don’t have to ask for something like that! Of course we’ll become friends again. I swear, on my honor as Jeralt’s apprentice!”</p><p>For the first time that month, Leonie saw Byleth smile. It was almost unnoticeable, yet it seemed to transform their entire demeanor. “I look forward to it, then. Thank you, always, for being my friend.”</p><p>-</p><p>Leonie awoke in a panic at the break of dawn, racing out of bed in only her pajamas to the outskirts of the village, only to find that she was too late to catch Jeralt’s mercenary company to say goodbye. She was angry at first—Jeralt probably didn’t give notice because he knew she would’ve attempted to force them to bring her—but then again, that was exactly why she had to keep training on her own. So that when they did meet again someday, she’d be strong enough to be accepted by Jeralt and Byleth both.</p><p>She walked into the forest, unafraid of the nocturnal predators beginning their slumber or diurnal beasts slowly stirring. Then, when she was sure nobody could hear her, she yelled at the top of her lungs:</p><p>“Don’t wait on me, Captain Jeralt, because I’ll catch up soon enough! And Byleth… Byleth, when I grow stronger, I’ll come find you, and we’ll definitely become friends and rivals again! Just you wait and see!”</p><p>-</p><p>“Leonie? What are you thinking about?”</p><p>Leonie was startled out of her reverie, only to find Byleth watching her with those infinitely blue eyes. “Professor! Didn’t see ya there. Sorry, did I miss something?”</p><p>They shook their head. “Well, actually, for a moment I had this odd feeling of… ah, never mind.”</p><p>As they began to leave Leonie felt compelled to grab their sleeve. When they turned back in confusion, she blurted out, “Oh! About your invitation to tea the other day… wanna do that later this afternoon?”</p><p>Their eyebrows raised slightly in mild surprise, but the tiniest of smiles spread across their face. “Yes, I should be free today… Alright. I look forward to it, then. Just knock on my door when you’re ready.”</p><p>"Will do." Leonie found herself grinning widely, gripping Jeralt’s charm in her hand. “I'll see you soon!”</p>
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